A recent report by the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has highlighted the severe impact of sand and dust storms on global health, economies, and environments. According to the report, more than 330 million people in 150 countries are affected by these storms, which are driven by climate change, land degradation, and unsustainable practices. Philemon Yang, the President of the UN General Assembly, emphasized that sand and dust storms “are fast becoming one of the most overlooked yet far-reaching global challenges of our time”.
The storms not only cause “dirty windows and hazy skies” but also “harm the health and quality of life of millions of people and cost many millions of dollars through disruption to air and ground transport, on agriculture and on solar energy production,” said Celeste Saulo, the Secretary-General of WMO. Airborne particles from these storms contribute to 7 million premature deaths annually, triggering respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and reducing crop yields by up to 25%, which can lead to hunger and migration.
The economic costs of sand and dust storms are staggering. In the Middle East and North Africa, the annual cost is estimated to be $150 billion, roughly 2.5% of the region’s gross domestic product (GDP). According to Rola Dashti, the Undersecretary-General of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, “This spring alone, the Arab region experienced acute disruption,” with severe storms in Iraq overwhelming hospitals with respiratory cases and storms in Kuwait and Iran forcing school and office closures.
The health burden of sand and dust storms is also rising sharply. Between 2018 and 2022, nearly half of the global population – 3.8 billion people – was exposed to dust levels exceeding WHO safety thresholds, up from 2.9 billion people affected between 2003 and 2007. Laura Paterson, the WMO’s UN representative, noted that “about 2 billion tonnes of dust are emitted yearly, equivalent to 300 Great Pyramids of Giza” in Egypt, with more than 80% of the world’s dust coming from the deserts in North Africa and the Middle East.
Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa has traveled as far as the Caribbean and Florida, demonstrating the global reach of these storms. In the United States, dust and wind erosion caused $154 billion in damage in 2017, a quadrupling of the amount since 1995, according to a study in the scientific journal Nature. The WMO and World Health Organization have warned of the increasing health burden, emphasizing the need for urgent action to combat sand and dust storms.